Online Suicide Propaganda Blamed in More Deaths.

Throughout history when suicide is approved of and promoted for "a few," invariably emotionally vulnerable individuals consider themselves candidates as well. The result is "copy cat" suicides or "suicide clusters." The modern combination of suicide promotion and the ease of access afforded by the Internet has brought the insidious notion of "rational suicide" to many who are easily caught in its simplistic view of life and death.

The Internet-suicide phenomenon in North America has begun to take its toll. On Sunday, June 8, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on an online discussion group that encouraged "successful suicide." The online service even notifies family members with special time-delayed e-mails. The online site, which the Chronicle is not identifying, has been directly linked with at least 28 deaths. Julia Scheeres, the Chronicle writer, believes that the number of deaths could well be higher, as not all participants report their actions. Scheeres writes,

The discussion group defines its philosophy as being "pro-choice" suicide. Participants view suicide as a civil right that anyone should be able to exercise, for whatever reason. On any given day, the Internet site is filled with hopeless rants about life's miseries, advertisements for suicide partners, and requests for feedback on self-murder plans. Among the hottest items is a "methods file," a step-by-step guide on how to commit suicide - - from asphyxiation to rat poison.

Copy-cat suicides are not limited to the young, as is frequently thought. On June 4, 2003, a 53-year-old woman in St. Louis logged on to the "Church of Euthanasia" web site and followed its instruction to the last detail. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted that the phenomenon was not new. The bestseller Final Exit written by Derek Humphry was first published in 1991 as a guide to suicide as well as "assisting" a suicide without being discovered by authorities.

The book was found to be a contributing factor in numerous suicides in St. Louis alone. A 1993 study in the New England Journal of Medicine focusing only on New York City found that Final Exit had led to a dramatic increase in suicide, with many victims having no underlying physical illness.

The ongoing promotion of suicide "online" bodes ill for the emotionally and physically vulnerable. The promotion of "assisted suicide" only means that an outside agent is now encouraged to aid and/or implement the deadly act.

In the remainder of this article we'll take a quick look at other euthanasia-related items around the world.